PINTEREST is attracting increasing interest in the United Kingdom in the wake of its barn-storming success in the United States, where it is fast becoming a “must-have” component in social media marketing strategies.

So should all businesses pin their hopes on this photograph-sharing platform that has the ability to visually showcase your brand and communicate messages about your company?

The answer to this Pinterest business strategy question is yes and no.

Organisations selling products that are eye-catching or who operate in niche or special-interest markets are the ones that stand to gain the most from this new medium, it would appear.

However, companies selling services, such as consultancies, will, in my opinion, struggle to reap any [Read more...]

Be a big-hitter: corporate messages on Twitter can now carry more impact

By DAVID BOYES

TWITTER has recently introduced changes that give users – primarily businesses – the ability to add more punch to their corporate message.

For those with a bit of ring craft and a desire to score some new points with their target audience, now is the time to act because these new features are going to be forced on all account holders in the near future.

This short guide covers the changes that matter and what they mean for organisations who use the micro-blogging platform in their social media marketing mix.

The latest developments – introduced last month – concern Twitter account profiles. The new features allow users to portray themselves or their organisations in a more visual way, making it possible for them to create something resembling a welcome page for new and existing customers.

The most significant alteration is the addition of a header image to complement the previously existing user photo. Bearing in mind the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, this is good news (especially in light of Twitter’s 140-character limit) for those who wish to punch their weight in the social media ring.

HERE’S something that gets my goat in a big way: Organisations who purport to embrace the modern advantages of social media but continue to live in the past.

Broadly, I refer to bodies who fail spectacularly to grasp the concept that Twitter, Facebook, et al, are means of communication and are, therefore, “live” 24 hours a day. The key is in the words “social” and “media”, the latter being the more important of the two.

Specifically, I refer to NHS 24, which, for the uninitiated, is an “online and telephone-based health information and self-care service”. In plain language, it is who you call if you are in need of medical help outside of “normal” hours.

Now, my gripe is not with NHS 24 generally and its fine frontline medical professionals. It relates to its management – in particular its communications management.

As I regularly state, like a stuck CD, to those in my circle of influence, social media is a form of publishing. This principle is not overly important for those using the likes of Twitter for personal use but it is extremely so for businesses and large bodies who employ [Read more...]

WHEN the United States of America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, goes the time-honoured saying. Yet, on the British side of the Atlantic, it would appear that, in one aspect of modern business life at least, preventative medicine has been taken by the bucketload, when it comes to social media marketing.

The reticence in some commercial quarters to wholeheartedly embrace the social media dimension is something of a mystery. But there must be a reason because everything in life is explainable.

The affliction that prevents small to medium sized enterprises delving into the most exciting and potentially beneficial realm of the current age must have its roots somewhere. Is it ignorance? Doubtful. Is it fear? Perhaps. Is it a pre-conceived notion that the social space is [Read more...]